China Spy Chief Warns AI Threatens National Security

Artificial intelligence has become a central arena in the US-China technology rivalry. Beijing is promoting domestic models and seeking a larger role in global AI governance while requiring public-facing generative AI services to protect national security and social stability. The intervention by the Ministry of State Security is significant because it frames advanced models not only as engines of economic growth, but also as potential tools for political influence, espionage and attacks on critical infrastructure.

On September 13, 2026, China Cyberspace, a journal overseen by the Cyberspace Administration of China, published a signed article by State Security Minister Chen Yixin in the ministry’s first public statement focused on AI. Chen listed six risks spanning political security, cyber warfare, data leaks, technological monopolies, social governance and military conflict. He named Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5-Cyber as capabilities that could lower the cost of cyberattacks and accelerate vulnerability discovery and malware development, but cited no specific attack or financial loss in China.